Four candidates run for seats on South Callaway school board

Incumbents Micah Benningfield, left, will face newcomer Jamey Martin, right, along with Brent Woods and Caleb James Bartley for a pair of three-year terms on the South Callaway R-2 Board of Education.
Incumbents Micah Benningfield, left, will face newcomer Jamey Martin, right, along with Brent Woods and Caleb James Bartley for a pair of three-year terms on the South Callaway R-2 Board of Education.

MOKANE - Incumbents Micah Benningfield and Brent Woods will face newcomers Jamey Martin and Caleb James Bartley for a pair of three-year terms on the South Callaway R-2 Board of Education in Tuesday's general municipal election.

Woods and Bartley did not submit candidate information for this preview.

Micah Benningfield

Micah Benningfield has been a member of the South Callaway R-2 Board of Education for six years. Benningfield and his wife have three children who have attended or are currently attending South Callaway schools.

Why did you decide to run for this position?

"I have enjoyed my time on the board," Benningfield said. "There have been many challenges over the past few years which has placed the board in a situation to make some difficult decisions.

"Being a part of these decisions and seeing the results helped make the decision of running for school board again."

What are your qualifications?

"I have been on the board for six years and during this time I have attended different board-training classes," Benningfield said.

What do you see as the biggest issue facing the South Callaway school district, and how do you plan to solve it?

"Distance learning and budget concerns will be two of the biggest issues facing the district in the future," Benningfield said. "The best way to solve these issues is by working with the administration in being prepared for distance learning, if needed, and ensuring that dollars are spent in the correct manner."

What is your strategy for attracting and retaining quality teachers at South Callaway?

"Continuing to improve our school facilities and pay will attract and retain quality teachers," Benningfield said. "South Callaway continues to be one of the top performing schools in the area."

Jamey Martin

Jamey Martin grew up in the Springfield area and is a Class A-PGA Golf member, and has been involved in the golf business for more than 20 years. Martin moved to the Fulton area two years ago to become the clubhouse manager/golf professional at Tanglewood Golf Course.

Martin and his wife, Monica, have four children.

Why did you decide to run for this position?

"I have a son who is a student at South Callaway and I want to be more involved in the betterment of his education and all other students at South Callaway," Martin said.

What are your qualifications?

"I'm not really sure about this one, but I have 25-plus years of management experience and have been in a situation to make decisions and lead large groups of people," Martin said.

What do you see as the biggest issue facing the South Callaway school district, and how do you plan to solve it?

"I have always felt that one of the big issues is finding highly qualified teachers who genuinely care about their students," Martin said. "I have seen so many educators over the years who work their shifts and go home.

"I haven't seen this as a problem here at South Callaway. Every educator that we have dealt with so far has been wonderful and I just want to be part of keeping this going for many years."

What is your strategy for attracting and retaining quality teachers at South Callaway?

"Making the workplace a family-friendly environment," Martin said. "Pay is one huge factor in keeping quality educators, so if you can make their workplace extremely family-friendly and know that they genuinely love their jobs, then we as a district can be very successful."